Massive Tornado Hits Oklahoma Again

A huge tornado with 320 kilometers-per-hour winds has torn through the central U.S. state of Oklahoma, destroying homes for the second day in a row Monday.

The 1.6 kilometers wide tornado destroyed swaths of Moore, an Oklahoma City suburb, flattening entire neighborhoods, setting buildings on fire and landing a direct blow on an elementary school.

Local media reported several children have been rescued from the school.

There were several reported injuries but no immediate reports of deaths.

The severe weather outbreak is expected to spread across other parts of the Plains and the Midwest.

The National Weather Service has placed parts of five storm-battered states -- Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas and Texas -- under a tornado watch, meaning conditions are favorable for tornadoes to develop within the next few hours.

The same suburb was hit hard by a tornado in 1999. That storm had the highest winds ever recorded near the earth's surface.